Faculty and Staff

Alexia M. Torke, MD, MS, is a professor of medicine and associate division chief of general internal medicine and geriatrics at IU School of Medicine. She is director of the Evans Center for Religious and Spiritual Values in Healthcare and a research scientist with the Indiana University Center for Aging Research at Regenstrief Institute. Dr. Torke received her undergraduate degree from Carleton College and her MD from IU School of Medicine.

Shelley A. Johns, PsyD, MS, has received a Young Investigator Award from the Indiana Clinical Translational Sciences Institute (CTSI), a Walther Research Scholar Award through the Fairbanks Center for Medical Ethics, and pilot grants from the IU Indianapolis Research in Palliative and End-of-Life Communication and Training, IU Health, and Walther Cancer Foundation. She serves as a member of the IU School of Medicine's Palliative Medicine Fellowship executive committee, associate member of the IU Simon Comprehensive Cancer Center Cancer Prevention and Control research program, affiliated faculty with the IU Health Fairbanks Center for Medical Ethics, and as an affiliated investigator with the IU School of Medicine Diabetes Translational Research Center.

A nationally renowned music therapy researcher, Sheri Robb, PhD, is exploring how music and play interventions can reduce stress, improve survivorship and boost the immune system in children ages three through eight during cancer treatments. Robb is a professor at the IU School of Nursing and the Walther Professor of Supportive Oncology at IU School of Medicine.

Janet Panoch comes to her research interests in supportive oncology from the patient-facing side of sarcoma. Her 12-year-old daughter was diagnosed with osteosarcoma in 2007 and experienced functional limitations for over a decade before choosing an above knee amputation. Janet returned to IU to pursue a PhD in Health Communication and now focuses on improving patient-provider communication for surgical decision-making. She engages in qualitative methods with patients, caregivers and orthopedic oncologists to co-create communication tools like the Osteosarcoma Decision Aid. Janet serves as a decision coach to help families weigh pros and cons when making difficult surgical decisions.

Alexis Miller received her Bachelor of Arts from Herron School of Art at Indiana University Indianapolis in 2019. She is now the administrative coordinator for Walther Supportive Oncology Program.